One has taken over 25 hours to be sent solo and another 15 hours and even now they still fail to make a decent round-out and touchdown.
25 hours? I would start to question the quality of instruction being given if it was taking someone 25hrs (despite having lots of previous flying experience) to go solo in a basic trainer like the Cub. It's not rocket surgery
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Learn on a taildragger, and the aeroplane will not tolerate sloppy technique.
Exactly, I wish I had learnt on a taildragger. The Cub uncovered a habitual tedency on my part to flare high, which the PA28 had left gone unoticed. GA took a step backwards when the first generation of spamcans were introduced.
Out of interest, what is the 'average' time required for a tail wheel endorsement? Vague ballpark?
Most clubs say about 5hrs. I think that's a little optimistic though, with perhaps 8-10hrs to get really happy with the plane being more realistic. Getting a good instructor who is used to teaching in a tandem is very important.